Government Issues

Mo. woman may fight $100M streetcar plan in court

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sue Burke, a downtown Kansas City business owner, told the Missouri Court of Appeals that she is upset she now must charge her customers a one-cent sales tax to pay for a $100 million downtown streetcar project, 41 Action News reported.

She added that the city never gave her enough notice to oppose the streetcar plan or offered business owners a chance to vote on it.

The attorney representing the city argued to the appeals judges that the deadline for Burke's challenge had passed and that the voters, who live downtown, have spoken. For the full story, click here.

The report studied recent innovations in transportation practice in New York City, Portland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Charlotte and found that local advocacy and civic engagement were a necessary prerequisite for revitalizing urban transportation.

The 62-36 vote came just a day after a majority of senators balked at approving a motion to proceed to debate on the bipartisan bill, which was negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK).